This invention relates to therapeutic compositions containing betaine salts.
Betaine, a quaternary nitrogen compound, is a metabolic byproduct of choline oxidation. Barak et al. (1983) Life Sciences 32, 771-774 suggests that betaine may serve as a methylating agent when normal methylating pathways are impaired by ethanol ingestion, drugs, or nutritional imbalances. Moyrand et al. (1978) M.C.D. 7, 453-457, describes the use of effervescing betaine citrate to treat patients suffering from dyspepsia and exhibiting symptoms including slow digestion, somnolence, and anorexia; betaine citrate, mixed with several additional ingredients, was administered in three 2 g doses daily for a minimum of 15 days and was found to be effective in the treatment of dyspeptic syndrome. French Patent No. 2590 M of 1963 describes the combination of less than one gram of betaine citrate with aspirin to buffer the aspirin.